The development of the application ReZante followed the following phases:

Initially, a group of historical scholars and architects was formed and collected information and material concerning both the history of pre-earthquake Zakynthos and its Venetian architecture.

Writings, engraved photographs, photographs of surviving buildings, town planning maps and others composed the primary material for the “resurrection” of pre-earthquake Zakynthos.

At the same time, the developers developed an innovative data management platform, which was used to register all research material accompanied by spatial data, as well as information related to local businesses.

The platform is not a simple database, but an advanced system that allows the interconnection of elements and the use of GIS technologies for the development of browsing scenarios, games, information collections, etc. The platform is the main source that supplies many different applications with information and content necessary for their operation.

After the material was collected and registered, the team of architects (using the raw material) began the painstaking task of creating more than 200 buildings with detailed representation and at least another 1,000 buildings with limited detail.

After the architects’ work was completed, 3D developers undertook the modification and optimization of the 3D models so that they could be reproduced on mobile devices

At the same time, the application that hosts virtual Zakynthos was developed and by “taking advantage” of GIS technologies and the gyroscopic sensors of a portable device, offers a “time window” through which one can observe the pre-seismic Zakynthos as it was at the point where he/she is located now.

The next step was to integrate the virtual world into the application, which was based on the city plan of the current and pre-earthquake city, facing a new challenge as many of the old streets are now built up with buildings while there are new streets in other locations. The buildings were placed in such a way as to remind of the old streetscape, but also to be visited as the user will navigate around today’s Zakynthos.

The application was put into pilot operation and after a series of systematic checks and improvements, it acquired its current form and functionality. Finally, it was enriched with historical and photographic content as well as tour scenarios and adventure games.

Looking to the future, the application was designed with the scope of future evolution and simplicity of development. Thus, the application requires all the content from the content management platform, ensuring that other information (such as texts, scripts, etc.) can be added to the application at any time.